The Ins and Outs of Hardwood Floors: An Interview with Joe Palumbo of Advanced Hardwood Flooring

Tell us a little bit about your company and the services you offer.

Our Family Co. has been in business since 1955. I am a third generation Flooring Installer and Refinisher. We install any type of hardwood flooring, engineered or prefinished hardwood flooring. We also repair and refinish all types of Hardwood Flooring as well.

What are the main decisions that people need to make when it comes to
choosing new hardwood flooring?

The main decision of choosing Hardwood Flooring is what type of species of wood you are looking for, and more importantly, if the conditions in your home call for Hardwood Flooring. What type of Hardwood Flooring would be recommended for your climate, moisture and humidity levels, along with what the subfloor is. Have to remember, you're dealing with the elements here, wood, polyurethane and the climate conditions in and surrounding your home.

What type(s) of hardwood floors work best for high-traffic areas (and why)?

Most people go with good old-fashioned Oak flooring because of it's durability. The high traffic areas depend not so much on the type of wood, but more so the type of finish that's applied, and the amount of coatings you should have for the traffic your home will endure.

What are some of the most popular hardwood floors for homeowners in Long Island?

In Long Island it's all about Oak. Most of the homes in the Northeast area were built with Oak as their flooring because of the high durability of Oak.

Can you explain how to properly maintain hardwood floors so they last
longer and still look good?

Maintaining your Hardwood Flooring is important. After floors are refinished, there should be a period of approximately a week before resuming any type of work and or placing furniture back in place. The reason for this, is simply because floor coatings need time to cure to their hardest point. Also, getting thick carpet stick pads to go under EVERY chair and table leg in the house. This will stop your furniture and chair legs from scratching and gouging your floors, and prevent you a world of aggravation. Have your floors buffed and recoated once every 3-4 years to rejuvenate the sheen of the top coat of your flooring. Have to remember, hardwood flooring will never be as hard as Marble or Tile, they need to be treated with kid gloves.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to install hardwood
floors but has a limited budget?

I would still say stick to Oak, as the prefinished and engineered flooring are no longer cheaper really anymore. The more exotic the species and size planks of your flooring, the more expensive it will be to accomplish.